Who Can Take A Gap Year?

Don’t be misled by its name, a gap year can be a year-long break or even something of a shorter term. A popular backpackers’ travel concept, gap year has remained the talk of the travel quarters for ages now and it is here to stay. Now we have talked about the why, where, when and how of a gap year abroad. It's time that we look into the Who of a gap year abroad!

Ideally, it is said that the time after high school or college graduation is the perfect time to hop aboard the world exploration bus and go for a gap year. But even if that opportunity has passed you by already, you need not sweat it cause you’ve got your whole life and various stages of it where you can simply clock off for a year and go on a world adventure! You heard that right. You need not regret that decision of shipping off to college directly after high school, unlike your friends who opted to take a gap year. You can simply decide to pack your bags and leave NOW!

Broadly categorized, these are the groupings of people who can take a gap year:

High School Graduates

Popularly considered as the most favorable time to go for a gap year, high school graduates comprise the largest demographic of gappers out there.If slogging with University textbooks is not on your mind right after graduating high school, then a gap year abroad could just be the perfect thing for you to have a learning experience all the while trotting the globe. A gap year in itself is filled with learning curves and as is the case for most high schoolers, this is the first time they’ll be going out on their own and surviving by themselves. So, you could say a gap year can give you some good life teachings.

Escape the tensions of college applications, GPA and plan up a rocking itinerary. You have all the time in the world to get some bucket list experiences ticked off or maybe add something new and unique to your bucket list- like a volunteering with the Big Cats in Africa, maybe stay at a local ranch or Estancia in Uruguay, go for a road trip in vintage car in Cuba or try your hands at surfing in Australia. The world’s your oyster and all of this is waiting right here with us at GoDiscoverAbroad to make your wildest gap year dreams a reality.

University Students

Do not fret if you’re one of those people who’ve aimed right at college after high school graduation, you can still take a gap from your University studies and take some time out to concentrate on worldly studies away from the pages of your textbooks. A bit unorthodox and a lot challenging (given that you’d have to convince your parents for the same), a gap year during your University term can prove to be just the quiet needed break that you need to concentrate better and ace your college average. And as already said, a gap year need not be a year-long break from your university and studies, and speaking of a short-term gap year, we have just the perfect programs for you kind of gappers.

The short-term gap year programs are built with 50-60 days of itineraries and are stuffed with equally exciting experiences as you might have had on a long-term gap year abroad. Go for a continent-spanning adventure in South America or explore the exotic flavors of India or opt to trek up to the Everest Base Camp in Nepal. You can even take up a volunteering program or an internship while traveling abroad and score some brownie points for your CV. So are you ready to take some time off those heavy University books and experiencing a sensory overload in a far distant land?

College Graduates

Definitely one of the most crucial points of your life and also one of the scariest- the thought of what next even rattles up the most confident ones. But if it’s a gap year that you have had on your mind since forever, this would be a perfect time to make that happen!

Having successfully made it through those sleepless nights during college semesters and having shed the weight of those boatloads of books off your shoulder, now you have career prospects staring right at you but you have your eyes set on that bucket list adventure. It could be a wild getaway in the African continent or an amazing road trip in the US or even an exotic adventure in Asia- a gap year after college would be great to rid your mind of all future worries and would also be a huge confidence booster. Many would think that going down the professional path right after college would be more beneficial, but the distinctive experiences that you will gather and the unique life skills that you will gain out there while traveling can make you stand out in the crowd.

Working Professionals

Has that 9-5 job of yours drained the life out of you? Have you lost yourselves somewhere in the folds of reports and office files? We don’t know if you know about this, but sabbaticals for working professionals is a norm in many countries and is even backed by the organizations that they are associated with. After all, a happy and healthy employee means quality work!

If you haven’t yet jumped down the whirlpool of responsibilities that comes with a family, then this could be the right time to plan up that longstanding gap year. Taking a year off from your job doesn’t have to be a scary prospective if you plan it well. Saving up for your big getaway and for the post return period is a must and handling it carefully is crucial. But who knows, you might just fall so much in love with the road that you start to make a living out of travel like many travel bloggers before you have done. There’s a whole world of possibilities out there for an adult gap year and it could be really exciting to found yourself anew at this stage of your life. So, how about an adventurous getaway in the adventure capital of the world- New Zealand or how about a cross-country road trip in South America!?

Retired Professionals

The golden years are knocking at your doorstep and thanks to the fact that you’ve no work responsibilities to take care of and you’re ready to have a ride of your life after retirement, in full gear! Many people aren’t so lucky and miss out on all these previous stages of life to go for a gap year, and in a flash of years, they are suddenly into the seniors' category. But that doesn’t mean your gap year plans, no matter how old had all been in vain because senior gap year is a thing now!

With more and more retired professionals and couples embarking on a gap year abroad leaving their mundane lives behind, Senior Gap Year has surely been in the spotlight for some time now. And, we don’t do the mistake of thinking them anything less than their younger counterparts because our older groups are equally adventurous thrill seekers and traveling nomads that we sure love having with us. So wipe the dust off those long-shelved adventure plans or those ever longing travel dreams and hop aboard a senior gap year. Volunteering is also really popular amongst senior gappers and their enthusiasm is truly remarkable. So if you’re looking for some means to spread love and goodness along the way of your gap year travels, you can bring some much-needed impact with Education, Child Empowerment, Wildlife and Medical Volunteering projects across countries like India, Thailand, South Africa, Kenya, Peru, Costa Rica and many many more.

We hope this article clears any and every doubt that you’ve ever had about “Who can go for a gap year” or more specifically, whether you can go for a gap year NOW! We say, Yes, Yes and Yes. Live like a YOLO freak and hop aboard one or more of our exciting gap year trips.

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GDA has a fantastic range of voluntours, adventure tours, internships, work abroad opportunities and responsible traveling options which will surely add a new meaning to your gap year. Pick whatever suits your interests and book your flight tickets for your dream destination. It's time to tickle your wanderlust cells! Calling out all backpackers, gap year students, solo travelers and adventure seekers - it's time that you take the leap and Go, Discover Abroad!